The Sportsletter - Saquon's 300 & The Pity Committee

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 25, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

It’s a short week, but a jam-packed weekend waits for no one. In the past 48 hours, Saquon Barkley ran right into the record books on primetime, college football disruptors may have completely derailed the CFP Rankings, and we're crowning champs in the NWSL and Formula 1.

🗓️ Scheduling: The Sportsletter Team will be taking time off for Thanksgiving. The newsletter will not be published on Thursday or Friday (Nov. 28-29). We’ll return to our normal schedule on Monday (Dec. 2).

Letter Rip!

NFL

300! Saquon Speeds Into History 💨

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

In Topsy-Turvy Week 12, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley Logs 300+ Scrimmage Yards (2 TDs) in Primetime Record-Setter

Another round of NFL games on Sunday took us one step closer to the postseason with five blowouts and a few shocking upsets. And while we can’t highlight them all — from overtime in Chicago to the Titans shaking up the AFC South — one stat-stuffing running back stole the show again. In primetime, Saquon Barkley ran, caught, scored and danced his way to a record-setting performance that maybe (just maybe) puts him in the running for MVP.

Saquon Speeds Into History 💨

Saquon is already great, but Saquon on turf is a cheat code, and quite unfair for NFL defenses. The rejuvenated running back torched the Rams in L.A. on Sunday Night Football with 302 total yards from scrimmage (255 rushing, 47 receiving), a pair of TDs, and some crazy records. His 255 on the ground was the ninth-highest single-game rushing total by a player in NFL history, and it set the Eagles franchise record. He’s also just the 13th player with 300-plus scrimmage yards, and only the second to do so in primetime. The Birds beat the Rams (37-20) in a second-half runaway for their seventh straight dub, and Saquon is well on his way to a 2,000-yard campaign.

Week 12 Scores & Highlights

Browns def. Steelers (24-19)

Vikings def. Bears (30-27, OT)

Lions def. Colts (24-6)

Dolphins def. Patriots (34-15)

Buccaneers def. Giants (30-7)

Cowboys def. Commanders (34-26)

Chiefs def. Panthers (30-27)

Titans def. Texans (32-27)

Broncos def. Raiders (29-19)

Packers def. 49ers (38-10)

Seahawks def. Cardinals (16-6)

Eagles def. Rams (37-20)

Monday Night Football
Ravens at Chargers (8:15 pm ET, ESPN)

The Harbaugh Bowl!

CBS Sports: Saquon Barkley Sets Several Records, Makes NFL History in Blowout Victory

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Pity the Committee... It's Madness!

Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Gators, Sooners, Upsets & A 4-Overtime Thriller Threaten to Derail the CFP Selection Committee's Hope for Peace

Did you blink during Week 13 of the college football season? Just when we had the CFP Selection Committee figured out, upset spoilers ran rabid on Saturday. No. 7 Alabama got the axe from unranked Oklahoma, and that’s three losses for the Crimson Tide. Indiana’s perfect run is over, but their shellacking at Ohio State still leaves them with a good chance to make the playoff. Florida chomped No. 9 Ole Miss's playoff hopes to pieces, and Kansas played spoiler AGAIN with a knockout punch to Colorado’s resume. All bets are off. What weighs heavier now: A three-loss SEC team or a one-loss mid-major?

It's as if the NCAA's March Madness bracketology has morphed into football, and that was the plan all along. They're even dunking the pigskin in the Swamp for football's sake.

Long story short: I pity the committee. This won't be easy.

To top it all off, Auburn outlasted Texas A&M in a four-overtime stunner that was downright unbelievable television. If you want to see the craziest game of the year, give the 4OT Auburn-A&M highlights a watch.

College Football Highlights (Top-10)

#2 Ohio State def. #5 Indiana (38-15)

#3 Texas def. Kentucky (31-14)

#4 Penn State def. Minnesota (26-25)

#6 Notre Dame def. #19 Army (49-14)

🚨 Oklahoma Upsets #7 Alabama (24-3)

#8 Miami def. Wake Forest (42-14)

🚨 Florida Upsets #9 Ole Miss (24-17)

Other Notable Highlights

#12 Boise State def. Wyoming (17-13)

#21 Arizona State def. #14 BYU (28-23)

🚨 Auburn def. #15 Texas A&M (43-41, 4OT)

🚨 Kansas def. #16 Colorado (37-21)

College Football AP Poll (Top 25)

Next CFP Rankings — Tuesday (Nov. 26)

NWSL

Orlando's Own!

Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Orlando Pride Beat Washington Spirit (1-0) on Barbra Banda’s Nifty 1st-Half Goal to Win 1st NWSL Championship

Orlando finally has one of their own! The NWSL Championship came down to the two best teams in the league in 2024. The 1-seed Orlando Pride and the 2-seed Washington Spirit met Saturday night in Kansas City for a neutral-site title match, and one goal made all the difference. Despite Washington dominating the stat sheet, it was a moment of magic from Barbra Banda late in the first half that did the trick. Banda twirled a defender into a pretzel with nifty footwork along the end line before ripping a left-footed beauty (37’). The Pride defense stood tall from there. Washington out-shot (26-9), out-possessed (58-42%), out-passed (374-279) and out-cornered (8-3) Orlando from start to finish, but Banda’s big moment was enough. It was the city of Orlando’s first professional sports championship of any kind.

Orlando’s Own (By the Numbers)

Not only was it the city’s first pro sports championship, but it came with a lengthy sheet of records.The Pride set regular-season records in points (60), wins (18) and they started the year with a 23-match unbeaten streak. Banda’s goal was also her fourth of the postseason (an NWSL playoff record), and it earned her the Championship MVP. It was also the first NWSL title for Marta, the 38-year-old Brazilian superstar and six-time world player of the year. Congrats, finally, to the city of Orlando!

Watch: Orlando Pride Win 1st NWSL Championship

WaPo: In a Breakout Year for Women’s Sports, NWSL Shows How Far It Has Come ($ Paywall)

FORMULA 1

Verstappen's Victory Lap 🏁

Photo: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

George Russell May Have Won the Vegas Grand Prix, But Max Verstappen Clinched His 4th Straight F1 Title

For the fourth straight year, Dutch-Belgian driver Max Verstappen is the Formula 1 champ after Saturday’s night race in Las Vegas. Verstappen finished fifth in the second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix, but he finished one spot ahead of Lando Norris to secure the points victory and claim history. Mercedes driver George Russell won the street-race event on a crisp desert night from the pole position, but Verstappen’s reign in F1 continues. And there are still three races left in the season.

Verstappen’s Victory Lap

If he wasn’t already a legend of the sport, he is now. Verstappen’s fourth straight F1 crown puts him in elite company at just 27 years old. The Red Bull driver is just the sixth in F1 history to win four championships. The undisputed current king of the sport is still in his prime, and he could have a shot to challenge Michael Schumacher (7) and Lewis Hamilton (7) for the most titles in F1 history.

“What a season. Four times! Thank you... It’s been a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. And we gave it all.” — Max Verstappen (Car Radio Call)

Watch: F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Highlights

ESPN: Verstappen’s Gritty 4th Formula 1 Title Pushed Him to His Limits

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

⚽️ MLS Cup Playoffs

Seattle Sounders def. LAFC (2-1)

Seattle Knocks Out #1 Seed

LA Galaxy def. Minnesota Utd. (6-2)

Pec, Jovelic & Paintsil Score 2 Goals Each

Orlando City def. Atlanta Utd. (1-0)

Ramiro Enrique (39’) Scores Lone Winner

NY Red Bulls def. New York City FC (2-0)

NY Red Bulls Strike Twice Early